SUNDAY DINNER 2019 with Belgian food! / Coasters and gibberish! / Santa's Sac!

Nov. 24th, 2019 11:12 pm
glowing_dragon: (Consumer Whore)
After COFFEE TIME, I went out at 2:40 on a 401 to a sick Jeremy's for Jon's birthday dinner since Eric could give me a ride home after UBC hockey and helping in the kitchen. I bought on-sale Knorr Sidekicks in Chicken and Broccoli rice and pasta / Homestyle Cheddar / Chicken Fried Rice, some high-visibility fluorescent yellow-green stickers and slap bracelet straps from Dollar Land (FINALLY!), some 100 mL Vaseline lotion in the yellow tube for Ontario from Shoppers Drug Mart, and a small bag of NEW on-sale Takis Outlaw snacks from Buy-Low for the Gwei-Lo at Kingsgate Mall since I got there at 3:20. I managed to get to Jeremy's at 4:35 after cutting through Dude Chilling Park, and Ayler wasn't even there yet to lock me out like he did last year! Eric sent me a text while I was there to ask if I was here yet... crazy! I did give him his Windel Advent calendar and Delecto dark chocolate assortment, and gave Jeremy his Windel Advent calendar too.

The kids got there a while later; Harmony said she was glad I was there already because then I could help her watch Beckett and take him from Jesse later on when he needed a break. Yeah, I let him look at the big screen for a minute - that's not going to get him addicted! Jeremy said there were some unsafe things for babies behind the chairs - yes, I could see wires! Beckett toddled around and wanted to turn off the computer, which Ayler thought was a touchscreen again. I let Beckett touch my fuzzy purple Alia winter coat, go up on the couch (but NOT touch the Japanese painting), hold my hands as he walked around, spout gibberish about the glass table (he can see the carpet!) and point at the lights and new things, and give me all the beer coasters a few times over.

Yes, he could throw those around if he wanted to, but NOT the candles or anything else! NOT SUITABLE PROJECTILES! He was also eventually curious about Jeremy's beard, like Ayler and Hiero had been. Ayler was smart and knew that I would have Advent calendars for them. He has a bonus dragon book since HE is a DRAGON too! The Santa stuffed dog was in my bag later when I got home, but I can give it to Beckett before my trip. Hiero wanted to be Batman or Superman in front of everyone.

I was civil and polite to Raymond when he was in the way and admiring Jeremy's bookshelf while I wanted to get my UTHER book from my bag to show Trish later, and also when I handed him some dishes that needed to be washed. Caught up with Caleb (I saw his uncle William recently!), Becky, Alice, Jeremy, Randal, Jesse, Trish, Lanie, and Christon for sure. (Ayler's math prowess / the Japanese soldier who refused to surrender until his commanding officer said so / my upcoming trip / writing / Jacob's Well / SERVANTS / the Spain honeymoon / buying a new place and moving / a rice cooker / the microwave / Jeremy seeing Steph in the newspaper as a random RCMP officer and confirming with Jon)

I met Jon's friend Mallory, noticed that his friend Jay had a "scent" about him, and "met" his friends Chris and Mallory. Since we all had to leave an hour or so earlier because Jeremy was feeling under the weather (bad timing as he got sick from his co-workers yesterday!), Eric and I actually left at 9 or so! We talked about gluten-free ice cream sandwiches being good for his mom and brother, his staying home at Christmas, FIRE EMBLEM, and a raccoon being outside near the dumpster when we got to my place at 9:30. (it was a milk jug...)


Trappiste Rochefort beer!




Santa's Sac beer, haha!




( Food and safety and more! )
Tags:

Phone photo dump! / Salmon, delays, and congee! / Pumpkin spice chicken wings?!

Sep. 24th, 2019 11:28 pm
glowing_dragon: (Happy Birthday!)
It's National Punctuation Day today... MY FAVORITE! After COFFEE TIME, I had to leave at 2 on a 401 and then a 410 (which I just got to on time, no thanks to idiots blocking my path on the sidewalk) for my appointment with Dr. Ruby before I helped with the kids. That was uncomfortable - I also saw a professional Audrey. Also, I had to buy more NEW Beehive Burst Peppermint lip balm at the Dollar Tree since there was no photo online that I could find, so I had to take my own photo. (I had ripped mine open last week before I figured this out...) I was there on time, but STILL had to wait 20 minutes to be seen! UGH! I should have gone to Dollar Tree before rather than after! Then I tried to speedwalk over to Lansdowne station a block and a half away, and just missed a Waterfront train thanks to these two slow ladies on the elevator going down.

When I got to Marine Drive station, I definitely needed a snack, so I went to Tim Horton's. Luckily, there was no lineup, so I got a non-sticky cheese tea biscuit and then got out of there to find that a wheelchair wanted to get on the 3 as well. Then a stroller wanted to get on - at least this one contained a fairly curious kid who growled and made various noises, unlike the other stroller who got on after that one left! After another delay caused by the driver stopping in the middle of the road for five minutes to check an alarm that was going off, I finally got to Mount Pleasant at about 4:20 when I could have been there at 4:05! Too many delays! Yeah, I used Term to complain to via text, haha.

Inside, Penny was just finishing up speech therapy while Beckett was failing at napping again. Almost right after Penny left, it was off to the park across the street because Harmony wanted to walk Beckett around the playground to see if he'd nap then. Spoiler alert: He did not. Ayler asked if I wanted to play tag or Manhunt - no, because I had run out of energy and was like a car which had run out of gas. Hiero asked why I walked how I did, so maybe Jon and Harmony should talk to him about it at some point. Once we got home again after more promises of consequences, I got to play with Beckett for a bit. He liked the baby pop-up toy because it made him laugh more than usual, wanted me to shake my head a lot because it was funny, liked PEEK-A-BOO as per Hiero, tried eating my DRAGON HOODIE strings again, and climbed on me a few times. (he did pull Hiero's hair, though!)

At the same time, Hiero was trying to show me his origami. Blowing up squares to make huge boxes, oh my! Later, I stayed close as Beckett crawled on the couch despite Ayler telling me not to let him do it. Well, you're doing and completing a HUGE connect-the-dots puzzle, so I'll do what I want while keeping Beckett safe in my own way, including trying to put on one of his missing socks. We had salmon, congee, Chinese chicken soup, meatballs with ketchup and barbecue sauce, some veggies, and ridiculous amounts of shredded pork. Then we talked about whether Jon had been shot today at the Downtown Eastside (he was fine and didn't have to lie on the floor as per Hiero's question), why people shoot at each other ("because some people think that the best way to resolve their problems is with guns" and "that's why we don't joke about guns"), my Cactus Club birthday dinner, Ayler seeing Brooke early this morning ("how do you know?"), Hiero doing flips and gymnastics in the elevator earlier and being injured, and how much everyone in the family could eat compared to each other.

After I washed dishes for a bit, I read to Hiero about Optimus Prime and the Decepticons, then listened to Ayler play a boogie on the piano before listening to him read a Level 2 story about polar bears. Sure I had to help him with some words, but that's normal. I left at 7:20, but couldn't get a 3 bus till 7:40 thanks to a couple of buses being out of service! I missed a Brighouse train by five minutes, and JUST managed to get a 407 at Brighouse, no thanks to people blocking my path where I was going to run to the front door of the bus. Do I really have to shove my way past other people all the time to get where I'm going in a timely fashion?! I got home at 8:35, checked my mail, and found Julie's birthday card plus random stuff - yay!


Random stuff: Nathan returning the OUTLANDER novel to me, six packs of Compliments Safeway brand spicy chicken instant noodles, and yet another pair of reading glasses. Good thing I didn't buy the Jergens lotion today because of all the walking I had to do, AND the utter weight of the 650-page paperback book!


From WINGS Restaurants and Pubs: Pumpkin spice chicken wings for fall 2019?! BLEH!




( Peppermint lip balm, birthday swag, Compliments instant noodles, a bunny, construction workers looking out for the baby rabbits, doughnut drawing at the hospital bus stop, Polestar planner )
Tags:

Birthday Wishes in 2019!

Sep. 20th, 2019 04:08 pm
glowing_dragon: (Happy Birthday!)
Birthday Wishes in 2019!


THIS ENTRY IS ALLOWED TO HAVE NON-ALIGNED TAGS.


Chargrilled Salmon and Seafood trio for my 2019 family birthday dinner: Wild Pacific Sockeye salmon topped with shrimp, scallops, and clams in a creamy rose sauce with arugula and Campari tomatoes. Served over jasmine rice with broccolini.




Captain Morgan spiced pumpkin milkshake for my 2019 family birthday dinner!




( Gift photos! )


Gmail Chat: Mike F. {1}

Email: Match, dentist office, Nathan T., Auntie Catherine I. {4}

Evite / (Facebook) Event RSVP: Eric M. x2, Billie E. x2, Eric H., Jeremy J., Darryl B., Nick LoveDrunkPunch, Paulo, Flaps, Randal C., Violet Hour, Luke, Deb L. / Dylan L., Kathy S. x2, Aaron C., Frances C., Lisa D., Benny N., Nathan T. {22}

LINE: Corey T. {1}

LJ: Matt A., Julie M. x2, Janet S. {4}

Facebook Wall Posts: Cathy B., Kitty B., Josh D., Alice P. x2, Ellen W., Kelli E. x2, Steph N., Shane T., Michelle S. x2, Andrew M., Alan P., Itamar R., Barb D. x2, Jim S., Talia E., Helen S., Leona K., Ellen C., Eve M., Jason H., Andrea W., Susan D.-C., Eric M., Andrew L., John P., Flora G., Rosenda M., Krista K., Daniel T. x2, Wade T., Ryan B. x2, Holly L. {38}

Facebook Chat / Messages: Mike B., Scott C., Jim S., Lisa D., Julie M., Vanessa H. {6}

Facebook Discussion Boards / Groups: Mary-Anne M. x2, Ivor S., Mona F., Wilf C. x2, Laurie E., Sam D.-W., Jolene J., Adam H. x3, Shavin A., Gayle P. x2, Stacey C., Carol F., Kevin J., Trish P., Kathy P., Vic F., Bill C., Joanna M., Bethany B., Karen P., Chiko T., Michael R., Luke F., Tina W., Kim J. {31}

Facebook Status / Photo Comments and Reactions: Julie M. x14, Cathy W. x8, Melia Y. x2, Deb. L., Zonia L. x3, Jim S. x2, Adam H., Sheryll T., Debbie S. x2, Vicky S. x2, Helen Y. x3, Virginia B., Holidays That Might Get Overlooked, Scott C., Michelle S., Pete C. x2, Robert B., Josh A., Teunis P., Barb D. x3, Orlando F., Shane T., Leona K., Jessica G., Steph N. {57}

Passed-On Messages: Damarys (via Mike) {1}

Discord: Shadownet x2 / Dynazide x2 / Nathaniel / Night_Edits / Toooo123 / FBG_Schwartz / WeNeedDaDrysdale / Lucky Anish / Hazeluff [Vancouver r/Canucks], rhinoballerina x2 / bats_are_cute / whiskey_sparkle [TrollX Support Love], DanGod x2 / Glaciier x2 / Mei x2 / Lyra / Merciless Gator / FlanKitteh / Kytten [Server of Thunder], Cuya x2 / Flynne x2 / Historybuff1117 x2 / Atheistman / Seele 2 Audio Only / Hansi / midoriskyz [Easytown], PureKaos / OnlyHopeRemains [Life Chat], Erik C. x2 / Aimsworth [DaveTheUsher], EvaDNG [Kramerica], Kalvinis / Touma Touma / Shiwa [Arise Realm], Creature_Of_Tea [PM], Clusa / Playinful / Arcine / Foygoox / Glaxion [Dragon Quest], Steve / Flaps / Jimbo [Chill Superfriends], Mikey / AlbinoMouse / Tyler / Eevee / Jimbo / Brian / Nick / Crows [V4F], Ceriam / PrettzL / Hyrule Hero / Corinne [Ceri_Realm], Hidden One / RedWeird / Harry / Goldberg / Karen Bro Michael / Alien / Krayven [Weirdo Manor], Kiran / Haley / SJ / Violet Hour / VioletNym / Jimbo [Sober Vancouver], ClassyBeard / Ange / smolbun / Lurus [ClassyCast], TheArcy / LuckyToken / TheRPGChick / Tsukiya / Rom_Stein / Highspirits / Kuja_ / Pesmerga / Dawnventure [Highspirits], Don Cherry's Suits / Black and Gold Hero / mbx / cheez wes / Aaron94 [r/hockey], ArmTheSharks / Boucher / CLASSIC_DISCORD [Scotiabank Arena], SirBillip [Earthbound Speedruns], Turtal / Eriphram / Ultimoice [Moonside] {102}

Twitch Streams: Kramer, YoungMerlin1 {2}

Youtube: Obsolete Oddity x2, AM PM, K, Lollie B, Deborah Danhauer, Libby Sanders, DEADBUG says x3, ARMY Bitch, Johanna Thompson, Faro Bass, Hillbilly Scholar x2, Michelle Godoy, Betty James, Lisa 86, Damarys, Mrs. EliteNugz, Candace P. PlusSizeShop, Logan Malough, Tracie Haygood, Wayne Pollard, Becca Lyn, Queen D, Banoffee, Goran Sipka, strale gaming, Jinn Malik, Dwae Rocks, Lorraine Arcand, Cold Jolteon, Tony Lee, Irish Temper, Thunder Glitch, Patrick Brookings, Elvira Miller, Lancer, Craig Bain, Teresa Howick, Beruška Vozábová, Ingrid Kastner, blackjackbahamas, Nicole Poe, Ann J.T. Farrington, La Doña Mariposa Vigilis, Scritti {48}

Not Always Right: Deadpool {1}

Reddit: Fosse22, SouthernMS, GhostieItsOhG, SocialFormality, JessicaRae28382, CheetahKeeper, NDesplas, RewardOffered, MyOwnPrivateUniverse, S_Jeru, CableLayer1, SirCleanPants, DibbiLuncan, Jess, MahilaMahi, SpiritNaga, JustAPersonnn, TheSaltyB, GreenFuckFrog, SoulEatingBastard, NYRKid, DrAgus_ {24}

Other Rewards Stuff: Boston Pizza free dessert (Chocolate Explosion Cheesecake!), London Drugs Extras $5 gift voucher {2}

In Person: Rishu S., Mom, Dad, Jon N., Harmony H., Ayler N., Hiero N., Beckett N., Eric M., Eric H., Jeremy J., Randal C., Dylan L., Deb L., Chrystal C., Auntie Catherine I., Kathy S., Aaron C. {17}

Cards / Presents: Uncle John's Truth, Trivia, and the Pursuit of Factiness Bathroom Reader / Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Beyond The Bizarre 16th Annual (me), Chargrilled Salmon and Seafood Trio / Captain Morgan spiced pumpkin milkshake at White Spot (family), jambalaya rice bowl / iced tea / white chocolate cheesecake (Eric M. / Eric H. / Jeremy / Randal), birthday card (Randal), birthday card (Jeremy), a cupcake birthday card / Mario / woodland creatures stickers / Domo / a rainbow cloud sticker / butterfly stickers / two Minions / Homer Simpson / Easter Jesus stickers (Julie), Benkei Ramen dinner (Chrystal), dinner at Han OK (Deb and Dylan - seafood pancake, spicy seafood tofu soup, Asahi beer, rice, tea, eggs, cheese, corn, kimchi, spicy pork, and bulgogi hot pot) plus a box of assorted Lindt chocolates, dinner (Kathy and Aaron) {17}


* Mom and Dad's presents: Tostitos Rounds chips given to Chinese Eric instead, No Name beef cup noodles, a birthday card with a cat coaster which is now between the fridge and my kitchen counter, Colgate 360 toothbrushes x2, Colgate Winterfresh Cavity Protection toothpaste, Colgate Cool Mint MaxFresh toothpaste, Burt's Bees ginger-lime lip balm, a tiny 30 mL Purell hand sanitizer, Simple Skincare cleansing wipes, and a new White Cross Scrubs pale blue scrub jacket. {12}


Phone Calls / Skype: Dylan L. Deb L., Declan L. {3}


22.6% of my Facebook friends... 95 of 421! (3 more wishes, 0 fewer people) [87 of 421]


GRAND TOTAL: 390
Tags:

Christon and Alice's wedding! / Damn extroverts! / Four Winds, Rocanini's, Kirin

Aug. 31st, 2019 11:57 pm
glowing_dragon: (No Netspeak!)
It's International Bacon Day today!


After COFFEE TIME, Eric picked me up at 12:05 for the wedding. Chinese Eric had texted him "hey" and nothing else, so Eric asked me to see what was up with that. Apparently, he'd asked him whether he'd picked me up yet. The wedding was very religious and traditional on Religion Road at Fujian Evangelical Free Church. I was glad to see Jeremy and Nate at least! Yes, things were relatively quick, but COME ON!

Later, I learned that Jon insisted that we all have lunch at Four Winds Pub in Delta - REALLY? (me, him, both Erics, Nathan, Jeremy, and Wesley) Why didn't you let someone know BEFORE I LEFT THE FUCKING HOUSE?! THAT'S the problem with spontaneity! I did NOT eat anything (the burritos were huge though!), and was very fucking annoyed with everyone - so just read and did not say much of anything. At least I got to talk to Nathan alone for a few minutes about his present feelings on weddings after all that had happened. He had had to do Citrus's wedding afterwards, but said that now it was okay, and thanked me for asking.

After that, SOMEONE also wanted to go for good coffee at Rocanini's in Steveston - can't you think of what I want for once?! We talked about everyone staring at their phone - I was trying to bang out a relatively quick message to Mike with the reliable wi-fi while we were there. THEN we decamped to white Eric's, where Veronica had kindly set up a table and chairs for us in the backyard before going to Van Dusen Gardens with Ron. At least I had water and ginger ale throughout the afternoon.

When we finally got to the restaurant, the parkade proved to be pretty confusing! I was at a table with everyone I knew, but we were stuck at the very back behind two pillars! We saw Deb, Dylan, Martin J. (who apparently also has an autistic kid), Martin T., Randal, Kevin, Isabel, Sheena, Lincoln, Karen, Vivian, and Geoffrey. We discussed the seating, "MORE TONGUE!" (we're known for shenanigans), Quiznos, Singapore, durian mochi NOT being durian MOCHA, hair follicle transplants done by ROBOTS, Samaritan's Purse, that lady who died because a metal straw pierced her brain, and the waiter taking the food platter away after he showed it to us BEFORE scooping it on our plates individually at the back. Some people had too much red / white wine, apparently including Alice's mom, which is how the MORE TONGUE thing came about.

After everything was done, I STILL had to wait around for the cleanup crew (who'd been given thank-you cards beforehand so they couldn't just "forget" about it), and then the loiterers! UGH! We did amuse ourselves at the photo booth, but STILL! Talked to Deb a bit about the summer, to Eric about PowerPoint (that's a VERY VALID excuse to leave...), and to Jon about Tom Lee Music / Hiero not getting any bullet train toys / my being there on Tuesday / speech therapy. Just as Eric and I were about to FINALLY drive away at 10:30, Chinese Eric delayed us by asking where Nathan was. HOW SHOULD WE KNOW?! I said GOODNIGHT rather firmly, and FINALLY got home at 10:40. Yes, I live THAT close to Kirin!


THE WEDDING BANQUET MENU:

* Kirin special platter with roasted suckling pig, sauteed prawns, and scallops with pureed truffle

* deep-fried crab claw wrapped with minced prawn

* bird nest soup with fish maw and Chinese ham

* live lobster in consomme with light ginger and green onion

* sliced wild catch California Mexico brand abalone braised with fish maw, Chinese mushroom, and peatips

* crispy skin free range chicken

* steamed live fish

* special fried rice with dried shrimp wrapped in lotus leaf

* E-Fu noodles stewed with two kinds of mushrooms in abalone sauce

* two kinds of Dim Sum dessert

* Kirin special sweetened soup


What do you mean, Four Winds Pub has no tacos?!




( Most of the food... )


Five years from now (our wedding day), I'll be stabbing you with this same knife. Enjoy the cake, honey!

Tags:

Lion's Den! / Bells and Whistles! / Randal / BUFF BERNIE?! / Vancouver Special

Jun. 30th, 2019 11:31 pm
glowing_dragon: (Happy Birthday!)
After COFFEE TIME / SHOWER TIME / LAUNDRY TIME, Eric picked me up at 6:10 so we could go to Lion's Den plus Bells and Whistles for Randal's birthday thing. Thank goodness for texting! I wore my Spirit of Nature "Canada D'Eh!" moose T-shirt in honor of Canada Day long weekend, of course. Kevin, Eric Ho, Eric M., Jeremy, Randal, and I discussed chimerism in humans, jerk chicken, curry goat, ginger beer, Jamaican patties, working security at the NHL Draft in Vancouver recently, Kaapo Kakko, Jim Benning and the number 6 (NOT 666), my NOT wanting Eric to put his styrofoam (teriyaki chicken) leftovers box in my tote bag without a plastic bag because it would spill all over, Christon and Alice coming really late to Bells and Whistles, my "famous" handwritten birthday card for Randal, Grace hot sauce, the Scoville scale, and the world's youngest mother.

It took 15 minutes for us to get the bill and pay because Kevin wanted our bills to have an additional amount for Randal's stuff. I didn't mind paying part of Randal's bill, but can't we do that among ourselves without wasting time? I don't mind the owner talking to someone in a wheelchair, but that was before she took our request for the bill. We did meet the owner and heard her story, just like that time we were there years ago. I knew the immediate area looked vaguely familiar!

Later, we ordered various beers (Kevin had a Pilsner while I had a Vancouver Special West Coast IPA) and Jon showed up to order garlic fries at Bells and Whistles. I was on my phone (Jon asked how I liked it after I gave him some used printer paper for Hiero's origami creations), but paid attention to CANADIAN BACON while texting Pothead Mike about stuff on Google Hangouts. Eric and I left after Kevin and Jeremy did - discussed chicken and waffles, anime, DARK SOULS, SHINING FORCE, the Nintendo Switch, and cleaning up after Christon's wedding at Kirin. Hopefully, it won't be like the time Mike wanted to help out at Tony and Trish's wedding after an already long day! Got home at 10:30 and discussed the questionable smell outside - at least it didn't smell like shit like on Thursday evening!


Canada D'Eh! moose T-shirt for Canada Day!




Jerk chicken from the Lion's Den!




Grace ginger beer!




Grace hot pepper sauce!




Vancouver Special West Coast IPA from Bells and Whistles!




From Julie: Buff Bernie coloring book?! BUFF BERNIE: A COLORING BOOK FOR BERNIACS!

Tags:

Dr. Narwhals Mating?! / Thai food Monday Dinner!

May. 22nd, 2018 12:03 am
glowing_dragon: (Crazy-Eyed Bear)
Tonight's menu:

Gaeng Ped Bped Yang - Red curry with BBQ duck and pineapple

Tom Ka Gai - Coconut galangal chicken soup

Yum Kai Dao - Fried egg salad

Pad Makeua Yao - Eggplant sitrfry with Thai basil


White Eric called me at 6:05, and got here about 15 minutes later. We discussed Steph, Mom, life, (almost) being in the Main area three times in three nights, and IGNITE PIZZA on the way to Jeremy's. I met new people named Alice, Evan, Judy, and Anna; CHINESE ERIC SHOWED UP, so of course I had to talk to him! He said that he'd seen my reply to the Evite, so of course he had to come after work! I saw Jesse and Trish, so gave them my "jack shit" opinion of the Pest Chaser sonic device. Said hi to Geoffrey, Fred, Randal, Sheena, Vivian, and Kevin. We discussed a future hockey hangout, the Vegas Golden Knights, Kevin's Singapore and Vietnam / Saigon trip photos, white Eric's Albania trip photos, panoramic photos, Jon moving AGAIN to Mom and Dad's current apartment (which I didn't know about till he showed up and said something), losing weight, Randal spending time with Ayler and Hiero (but stopping his lessons), life updates, writing, scheduling Wordpress blogging, and Rice Paper online magazine.

Also talked about politics, Anglicans, Kevin attending a Lutheran church now, the Washington Capitals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Twitch "in real life" streams, PUBG / FORTNITE, the new Wi-Fi device and password, Hiero ripping out a door at Jeremy's TODAY (he doesn't care!), Vivian's gum graft procedure (OUCH!), Christon's mom being even less mobile now, Randal's dad being 82 now, Nathan not wanting to socialize in big groups now (which is so totally understandable), Stockholm Syndrome beer, Pepsi, and BRISK iced tea. The party broke up at about 9:40 or so, and I nudged white Eric to get going if he wanted to pack up his hockey gear for tomorrow when he got home to Richmond. We waited for Sheena since she had no idea how to get out; on her way IN, she had bumped into Vivian, so that was pretty lucky! I got home at 10:25, and had peace and quiet unlike last night. SO GOOD AND REFRESHING!


Dr. Narwhals Mating?!

Tags:

2017 Yearly Recap!

Dec. 31st, 2017 08:28 am
glowing_dragon: (Default)
2017


JANUARY

* Finally got a CHIMO / Family Services phone intake done with Jocelyn, then finally finished JONBOUND. [Jan. 6]

* I created a Discord account for whatever reason, probably to talk to Lucas and his weird friends, plus Kramer and his Twitch stream friends. [Jan. 7]

* Finished replaying HALLOW'S END on Turbo Mode. [Jan. 11]

* Unfortunately, I had to get the passport stuff done with my parents. [Jan. 12]

* Visited Vanessa in the hospital after her surgery. [Jan. 13]

* Hiero's third birthday party! Ayler told me that he needed to take more nachos. Sure, why not? [Jan. 22]

* I got my ten-year passport through registered mail! [Jan. 25]

* Finally finished the very difficult MOTHER 2 DELUXE, and started FINAL FANTASY VI: ETERNAL CRYSTALS. [Jan. 28]


( Highlights and lowlights! )
Tags:

Saturday birthday dinner, Dilys, Trish, Ivan, Communion glass on a Xmas ornament

Dec. 3rd, 2017 01:02 am
glowing_dragon: (Vancouver Canucks hockey!)
THIS ENTRY IS ALLOWED TO HAVE NON-ALIGNED TAGS.


Tonight's menu:

Heirloom Bean Chili with Garnishes (cheese, rice, avocado, and onions)
Cornbread
Winter Green Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Quince and Apple Crisp
Agua de Jamaica
Dark Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake
Beer / Coffee Porter / Pot Filler / Gluten-Free Cider


After COFFEE TIME, Eric picked me up at 6:25 (he had to work from home today) so we could go to Jeremy's. I had his Ganong Delecto dark peppermint creams and Christmas card, plus Jeremy's FROSTY THE SNOWMAN Advent calendar and Christmas card. I'd also decided to give Ayler my old NIV Reference Bible (from 2010) for later in life. HA! Eric and I talked about life on the way there ("Christmas spirit?" "Well, I can't bitch about it being too early to mention Christmas..."), Wo's Restaurant, his not seeing Jon's new place apart from moving help, that Kwong Chow dinner, and his asking if I liked hot or cold yoga. Hahaha, no! I do know there are places near Jeremy's that offer it, though. We passed by the Boiling Point Hot Soup Restaurant which I'd seen on Yelp a couple years ago, too. The Canucks played Toronto at 4 today, and won 2-1, which I heard about later. When we got to Jeremy's apartment, I could hear what seemed like Randal pontificating on something, so I commented on this to Eric in a low voice. After hearing a little more of this "pontificating," I understood that it was the pre-dinner prayer. Oh well!

I saw Ayler and Hiero for two minutes as they were getting ready to leave with Harmony, and Ayler greeted me with "You should be here earlier!" Hahaha! I told him that Eric had had to work from home today, so that hadn't been possible. Then Jon said that I could have been there earlier had I not been too lazy to take the bus. Whatever - Eric had enabled it by being home when I called his cell at 2:30 to see what was going on after he hadn't answered my email reply last night! I asked Ayler if that meant he wanted to see me more, and he said yes. I think that's a good sign, so I said I'd see him on Monday. "And then Wednesday!" he said. No, that isn't going to happen! I managed to offload the Bible to Harmony since she had the cleanest hands out of her and the kids before they left. Later, Jon said that if I didn't hear from him, I should come on Monday - his student had been sick last week, so he'll call to see if the lesson is still going on. I also said that I'd sent Steph his address, so she'll send him that baby card with Henry (but I said "some mail") when she gets around to it. I gave Jeremy his FROSTY THE SNOWMAN Advent calendar, which he apparently really loved because he used to watch that exact FROSTY THE SNOWMAN cartoon religiously as a child! Hahaha, I'm glad that he really loved it! Of course he thanked me! He was also surprised at the pile of mostly change that I dumped on the donations table, deciding to raise my payment by two loonies and a toonie. (Jon's smoker friend Edwin left at this point, too)

I talked to Dilys and Trish about using Ayler and Hiero's leftover mugs (kid cooties can't get us!), wedding card / wedding thanks etiquette, early Christmas decorating / Christmas songs, Jesse's brother Hubert holding hands with a girl named Amanda at their first group meetup at a movie (that worked for them), Steph / Lisa / Fraser / Henry (Dilys had seen Steph and Lisa with my parents at a White Spot on Kingsway [?] while she was pregnant with Fraser), cookbooks, reading books, non-fiction, swearing around kids, hillbilly society, and documentaries after saying hi to a guy named Jonathan / Caleb / Jesse / Christon / Gino / Quan / Rebecca. Then I finally got a chance to ask Kevin whether he'd received the MEGA SUSHI email two months ago (couldn't do it at the Wo's Restaurant dinner), but he said that it must not have come through his inbox, then apologized. Nothing to be done about that!

Later, the phone was off the hook, so some people showed up randomly. I told Dilys that at the last dinner, I had accidentally locked Jon out of the apartment when he came back from taking the kids home with Harmony; I'd locked Jeremy's apartment door out of habit! I shouted over the music to ask Randal about NaNoWriMo, but he hadn't done it. He did say that there was a local challenge to write a novel in three days - yeah, I could never do that! Also, he mentioned that it was too loud with the music and other conversations. Not as bad as the Shark Club, man! I said hi to Ivan, who said I looked the same with my festive "jeweled" shirt and Santa hat - OF COURSE! Dilys asked if the clock chimed - yes, it did! Someone asked whether Jeremy had a VHS collection, but nope! He did have vinyl records, for sure! Christon told us about the Willingdon café $5 meal ministry before he left early.

Later, Jeremy was showing Trish some Christmas ornaments and decorations (including candy canes, which my nephews had recognized) on the Christmas tree. Lots of yearly ornaments and inheritances from his grandma! There was a bird feeder decoration from his grandma, and Eric wanted to ask Jeremy whether there was a leftover Communion glass there. Nobody heard him, so I used my existing NG lungpower to relay the question. Jeremy gave us a look, looked at the decoration again, and laughed - there was indeed a Communion cup! I had to laugh and said that Eric had NAILED IT! Ivan, Randal, Eric, and I talked about "accident" kids like Hiero and Ivan's brother Nathan, kids ten months apart, Richmond life, renting, his paying cheap rent to his parents, night shifts / managerial positions not being worth it for sleep / money considerations, the high gasoline prices (147.9?), Ivan's having to make FOUR trips to and from Richmond / Steveston to the Italian Cultural Centre because Stanley's wedding cake fell through (but they then got 500 different doughnuts from Steveston - PLAN BETTER FOR LESS DRIVING!), a pharmacist job, the new Shoppers Drug Mart near my place, the Richmond Centre Shoppers Drug Mart, patients wanting to set him up with their kids, my mom wanting to set me up with John Law once, how Mom acts when she's drunk (like the mooncake at Thanksgiving lunch 2007 at the townhouse - Kevin said that I had a good memory if Randal couldn't remember what happened WHEN HE HAD BEEN THERE!), Dad and others getting old, and the declining attendance at VCEFC.

I remembered to ask about the small group situation (Crossroads), but everyone in existing positions is overstressed and overstretched because there are fewer people around since they've left for various reasons. Awana is still a thing, but the leader-to-kid ratio is something like one leader to eight kids, as opposed to one leader for three or four kids like when I was doing it with Anita and Melia. The Fellowship situation may be starting up again with another version of David Fellowship, but lots of people have pre-existing small group commitments once or twice a month already, so the connection aspect may not be there if people only go to the big group once a month or so. Eric and I left at around 10:10, after I'd asked Ivan whether the church website had a livestreaming service, but he and Eric just chuckled - nope, probably not, although I do remember that they record the services and put them up at some point during the week.

When we left after I had drunken trouble with my winter jacket (Jeremy laughed - but I did thank him for hosting and all of that), Eric wondered if I'd had an enjoyable evening - I had, and so had he. He reminded himself not to go into robot mode, and I reminded him again when we got near that important turn-off. In the parking lot at 10:30, I asked what it meant if the computer restarted randomly or Windows didn't start up properly some of the time. I'm sure it could be a number of things, but I didn't want to set up something right then. He isn't even going to church tomorrow because he has a lot of work to do! I'll just email him later sometime, but it is time for bed now! Yep, Jimmy seems odd in the "wait a minute - why are you not saying anything?" way, but it's best to leave that alone.
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Another Wo's meal: pork, green beans, Jesse, beef, fish, Jeremy, and Caleb!

Nov. 12th, 2017 09:02 pm
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After MORE COFFEE TIME, I left at 4:25 so I could have dinner with the parents, Jon, Harmony, Ayler, Hiero, Jesse, Trish, Caleb, Eric M., Jeremy, Kevin, and Christon at Wo's Restaurant at 5:15. We had pork, daikon lettuce, veggies, beef, rice, fish, green beans, ground beef, tofu, and more! Talked about letters made out of chopsticks, Seattle, natto, the Pike Place Market, Jon smuggling some Blackberry Jam beer and Four Winds beer into the restaurant, hot and sour soup, life catch-up, moving, the (vegan / vegetarian) chili meal for that Sunday Dinner on the 2nd at Jeremy's, and more. On the rainy way home (extended because of Eric and robot mode), Mom called about a "pomarillo," which Eric figured meant a pomelo. Well, I couldn't find it, so whatever - at least it's not mine! At least I got a ride from Eric to that December dinner if I remember to remind him. Got home at 7:25, which is very good.


Random stuff from Mom and Dad, stuffed in a Skechers bag: a Joytel Group Hotels toothbrush, a Reitman's green and grey striped shirt, blue Princess Cruises pants x2, a pale green Jones New York vest, a tan Tradition vest, a light green Van Heusen shirt, dark blue Eddie Bauer skorts, black and white pants with no washing instructions or brand, a blue-grey Reitman's shirt, a dark brown Ralph Lauren polo shirt, a green Carroll Reed shirt, a black Marallis Collection dress shirt, a black Fashion Gallery button-up fancy dress shirt, a brown Reitman's shirt where the neck is too small to put an adult head through, a flowery Tan Jay dress jacket, and a blue Dalia sweater with neckline buttons that are largely decorative.
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